France by car

To answer the renting a car in Paris question - we rented from the Europcar location at Ave Foch. It was easy to get to from the metro, and tho it is very near the Arc de Triomphe, it did not require attempting the roundabout there. We did rent on a Sun morning, so traffic was light. And it would have been a straight shot to the peripheral/ring road, except we messed up the in car GPS - it was speaking German and we had limited GPS experience to realize that we sent ourselves to the last place it had been, which was somewhere in the middle of the city. Once we got it speaking English it was easy out of the city.

We returned it to Ouistreham (northern France) with no issues. There shouldn't be any extra charges for dropping within the same country - dropping in another country is usually what gets ya. That could be dependent on the rental company. You may also pay more to drop it at a big train station or airport - but don't discount the convenience. Our 2nd rental was in Avignon, dropping in Nice. We decided we wanted to forgo the $40 fee for dropping at the airport (which was dumb since we were staying at a hotel right near the airport) and dropped it downtown...and missed the little narrow street...and had to circle back around...thru mid-day traffic on the Promenade...then had to go around again to drop it at the garage, which involved another 20-30 min wait to go back one street (because the connecting street was one way only - the wrong way - so back out on the Prom). We wasted a good hour or more trying to save $40 (not to mention the stress of the traffic).

We have also rented several times at one location and dropped off at another. No problem.

Sounds like an interesting trip you've planned. As for what to see, it's almost impossible to answer because everyone's tastes and interests are so different. It's been my experience that you can put your finger any place on a map of France and find interesting things to see and do in that area. So I plan a trip from point A (in your case, Couiza) to point B (in your case Paris ?) by looking along the route either for towns/sites I've already heard about OR a stopping point based on how far I want to drive that day. Then, as I said, there will be lots of interesting things to see or do in that area.

Couiza is kind of near Carcasonne, Perpignan, and Collioure, each of which could hold interest for some people. About 250 km north (the direction you'll be going in to reach Paris) is a charming mountainside village called St Cirq Lapopie, one of our favorites.

You can't see it all, so just enjoy the places you target and leave the rest for another trip.

Just out of curiosity, what draws you to Couiza?

Cuiza is not in the SE (like Nice or Marseilles) but SW. Which is good from your point of view, logistically speaking.

I'd suggest 3-4 nights in the Dordogne, if that appeals to you.

Where are you flying on from, Toulouse?

Maybe see Couiza before going to Huesca. Then from Huesca you could go to Zaragoza and Pamplona before re entering France by Bayonne. Then head back towards Paris. Once in Spain see everything while there and don’t keep going back and forth. An alternative, Loire Valley to Huesca, then to Barcelona and up the coast of Spain. Then to Couiza and back to Paris. If you’re a Salvador Dali fan, stop in Figueres (north of Barcelona) to see the Dali museum.

I would not drive all the way back. You should be able to find a good affordable way to get back from Cuiza. Around Cuiza, I'm guessing you'll hit Carcasonne. Minerve is also a cute little village over a tiny canyon. Couiloire and the sandy (if windy) beaches along the coast to the east are beautifully isolated in the offseason (with the occasionaly built-up seaside summer eyesore).

You could head over to western Provence, around Arles or Avignon, hitting the Pont du Gard on the way. It's actually quite an easy and fast drive, about 3 hours (on a not so beautiful toll highway). But it all depends on your interests -- food? wine? art? history? natural wonders?

Unfortunately, as you know, there are limited non stop flights to Copenhagen. Not even Bordeaux , Toulouse or Marseille. Only Nice or Lyon. Dropping off in Barcelona will likely hit a very expensive international drop off fee (some people drop off at the border and take the train into BCN).

Thank you everybody! Someone was asking me - why Cuiza....it’s because I have a friend who was there and absolutely loved it. It also seems like it will be a good base for day trips throughout the Languedoc region. Adam pointed out that Couiza is actually not in the southeast....so I stand corrected! In my mind I was seeing it there because it’s somewhat near the northeastern border of Spain.

Nicole P., I really appreciate the info about returning our rental car to a different location in France. That definitely gives me some more flexibility. I can totally relate to your story about trying to return the car - similar thing happened to us in Paris. We rented our car at the train station - getting out of the city was ok but getting back was crazy! Every wrong turn added another 20 minutes in traffic, one way streets, etc. My husband and I had a deal not to yell at each other while driving in a foreign country - but that was a real test...haha!

I’m thinking a couple days in Provence will be a nice way to round out this trip, then I’ll figure out the best place to return the car and get a flight to Copenhagen.
I really appreciate all the input! Happy traveling everyone!!

I think the Copenhagen info is the most critical. I would rephrase your last sentence: We just need to return the car - from wherever we can get a flight to Copenhagen.

I immediately went to wiki - there's a page for every airport and includes a table with all the airlines and where they fly to. I scanned the long list for the Copenhagen Airport and only saw flights to/from Lyon and Nice, admittedly a quick scan so there may be others. And it's possible that the flights are only 2-3 times a week and not daily. I would first work out which French cities have flights to Copenhagen and see if your date is available and what the price tag is. If that doesn't work out well, then consider neighboring countries. Maybe dropping the car at the Spanish border and flying out of Barcelona, flying from Geneva (one side of the airport is in France), or even dropping the car in Strasbourg and then a 2-3 hour shuttle bus or train ride to Frankfurt airport. Finding a place to return the car will be relatively easy.

Our first car rental drop off in Ouistreham was so stress free - luckily, we had a couchsurfing host who drove ahead of us, we dropped the car and key, then he nicely drove us to the ferry we were catching over to the UK - which was further away than we realized.

After the Nice experience, I'm def not going to let an extra $40 keep us from doing the more convenient thing. And even worse - hubby had to double park on the street by the rental place - and cars were ok getting around us - until a big bus came down the road and couldn't get by (he was inside waiting to be served)...so I had to hop out and try to figure out how to move the car - it was a gas/electric hybrid and there was some weird way to get the car in 'D' and it took me what felt like forever to remember (in reality, it was prob 30 sec but I could feel the eyes of everyone in that bus staring at me...lol).

We have driven around France and northern Spain twice. I would recommend a copy of Frommer's 25 Great Drives in France. I assume they have one on Spain as well. It is broken up into 3 to 5 days trips in different areas around the country. This really helped us get an idea of what to see, mileages, time required. Most all trips are near or in smaller towns. Hope this helps

Thanks Jim!
I will definitely check that out.